Texas XVII

 Mineral Wells, Texas is the home of the National Vietnam War Museum, although several places and museums claim that distinction. How a museum is designated "The National.." is beyond my pay grade, I'll leave that for others to sort out.

What I can say is that this place, along Highway 180, west of Fort Worth is quite amazing.

While it contains many interesting components, artifacts, gardens, equipment, and walls, today I will concentrate on one of the first "Walls" placed.

It is a replica of the Camp Holloway Memorial Wall which was constructed in Pleiku after the death of CWO Charles Holloway, the first American killed at the camp. He died in December of 1962.

 

By 1965 several more Americans were lost and a wall was built to honor and remember them. It was dedicated in February of 1966 by General William Westmoreland.

 

It is said to have been the only memorial built to US Servicemen in Vietnam.

If you have followed this site for any length of time, you are aware of the ongoing conversation about which Vietnam memorial was the first.

 

Over the years I have seen many and have tried to answer that question and as of today, the Charlottesville, Virginia Vietnam memorial is the oldest I have found. It was dedicate in April of 1966.

It remains the oldest that I know about stateside, but The Camp Holloway Memorial Wall predates Charlottesville by a couple of months. The Wall in Pleiku is long gone but lives on in Mineral Wells. Interesting.

Charles Holloway is among the 254 Americans honored, the two below are from my state, Maryland.

 

Mineral Wells is about 45 miles west of Fort Worth on Route 180. It has grown greatly since I visited and now has many more things to see including a museum. When I was there the museum was simply a trailer that was locked with no one around. Their efforts are impressive and I hope to revisit sometime in the near future. In the meantime, I will post more about this interesting site in the future. 

Next time, on the 29th, we will come back east to visit Virginia. Join me there at 9:00am.

To see additional memorials from Texas, or any other state, please click on the state name on the left side of this page.

Texas VII

In the same Fort Worth Park as the last memorial, not far along the same path is this small, yet dignified memorial to those from the area who were POW's or MIA's. The site was dedicated in 1972 and some parts show its age. It was rededicated in 2000. The older plaque (last photo) is a little hard to read due to aging and the way the light hit it on the day I was there, It says;

Dedicated to prisoners of war and
those missing in action
in Southeast Asia
and their families.

Fort Worth Cares

November 18th, 1972

The smaller plaque on the brick says rededicated in 2000.

It sits off to the side a little creating a quite place to sit on the bench and reflect in this lovely park.

I have several more sites in Texas that I will return to at a later date. These include small and large memorials in Ranger, San Antonio and the ever enlarging National Vietnam War Museum in Mineral Wells among others.

Next, join me in Atlanta and other Georgia sites on the 12th of March, as always at 9:00am

Texas VI

I often speak, here, about unusual or unique memorials I visit. I am often astounded by their beauty, simplicity, dignity or just their raw power.

Today, I may just be telling you about the most unique of them all! This is one of those stories that reinforces, for me, why I need to keep doing this work. Why it is important to keep seeking out the sites, the history, and the untold stories.

It could have been anywhere in 'Nam, or any group of guys, but it was Charlie Company of the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry, Airborne Brigade. They had been under constant fire in the central highlands for months and they were exhausted, their morale was at an all time low. A young soldier decided to write and ask his hometown for support of any kind. His letter ended up on the desk of Dewitt McKinley, the Mayor of Fort Worth. Within a month, duffel bags filled with cakes, cookies and letters started to arrive and many more followed. Schools, Fraternal Lodges, the Girl Scouts and churches had all pulled together to support these troops. Among the letters was found a proclamation that Fort Worth had officially "adopted" Charlie Company.

Later, one of these soldiers commented "You have no idea how that compassion turned us around."

Well, some thirty four years later, July 6, 2001, the survivors, 29 of them, gathered at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens to thank the people of Fort Worth for their support at a time when many were not supportive of the war. This memorial is not a tribute to solders, but a tribute from soldiers to the citizens of their town, a thank you. Sadly, James David "Shorty" Haas (the kid that wrote the original letter) could not attend; he is still listed among the missing.

This is the first and only memorial I have seen that solders built to thank citizens, rather than the other way around.

Next time, I will write about a lovely POW/MIA memorial in the same park. Join me February 26th at, as usual, 9:00am.